Removing Goods from Sale for 24 hours after price error.

Anoneemoose

Hi,

This is just a query that’s always niggled me but I’ve never found a definitive answer.

If a store marks a product at the wrong price and don’t honour it (I know they are not obliged to), do they then have to (as in is it a legal requirement) remove it from sale for 24 hours? Or is it just something they do themselves?

Fosterdog

No they don't have to, at least I've never heard of or seen that written anywhere in law. Seems a bit backwards if it were true, you go to pay for something, find out at the till that the price is incorrect and then are denied service because the item has to be removed from sale for 24 hours.

Anoneemoose

Fosterdog wrote: »

No they don't have to, at least I've never heard of or seen that written anywhere in law. Seems a bit backwards if it were true, you go to pay for something, find out at the till that the price is incorrect and then are denied service because the item has to be removed from sale for 24 hours.

Thanks. I often see people quote that it!!!8217;s law and I have never come across anything that says it is. It was one of those things that bugged me!:rotfl:

steampowered

There are laws that cover this sort of situation, but I don't think there is a fixed 24 hours rule.

The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 bans 'unfair commercial practices'.

A business which 'contravenes the requirements of professional diligence', or engages in bait + switch advertising, is deemed to be engaging in an unfair commercial practice.

If a business fails to take down a pricing error promptly when they become aware, they will be in breach of that legislation. This has both civil and criminal consequences. A consumer could claim damages for any loss they suffer. The business can also be prosecuted.

There is no fixed time period though. I think it depends on the business. A company like Amazon will be expected to correct pricing errors very quickly. A small business might get a bit more leeway.